Thursday, May 9, 2013

Coupon and Update

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I ordered some Poilane bread from France as part of her gift, and it was a hit. There are some good breads in the United States, but Poilane bread is extraordinary. I have complained about bread insides or brinnards before. There's something unpleasant (repulsive was what came to mind, but that's a bit harsh) to me about squishy bread. Wonder Bread is about as bad as it gets. I know people like the soft texture of many American breads, but that's not for me. Poilane bread is real bread. It has some substance to it. It's not mushy. If a loaf, boule or baguette has a good amount of innards, chewy with air holes is just fine. Soft makes me cringe. Poilane bread definitely has insides with texture. Check out these slices:

Bread this good doesn't need toasting.

Before I forget, Mother's day is coming up, and I want to offer a coupon for 40% off my book, Training on Empty. The coupon will be effective until May 14th. Spread the word!

I know I haven't been blogging like I used to. There are a few reasons for that. The last week, I spent my days pumping out 1,000 words a day or so of complete junk. It was an experiment, just to see if I could do it. It turns out that when you drop the attachments, you get out of your own way. I've mentioned that concept in running. Move away from times and place, and it's easier to be in the moment to get the job done. It has been an interesting lesson.

Speaking of running, I haven't been doing much of it. I think my running days are over, and I've sort of accepted that. It has been a long, rough winter. There was the whole foot infection thing and many illnesses. I finally went to see the doctor again. It turns out that my blood test from way back in February wasn't normal, even though I was told it was. I had a long talk with my doctor, and we are working on getting to the bottom of my issues. There are things I will address later, but the big symptoms are improving. I'm no longer experiencing these weird body chills that grip me in the middle of the night, and I'm not getting as dizzy when I stand up these days. I'll take any improvements I can get.

One thing that she said was that it might help if I eat more, and I have to admit that it didn't sit well with me at first. I kept thinking (always too much in my head) that I shouldn't be eating MORE if I'm not working out much, but I guess stress burns calories. It's not like I was eating LESS, really, I was just not as hungry when I wasn't feeling well. I was sort of eating the same, even though my appetite was hard to find. It's funny how I had some conflict in my head about it, but I know I'm in a better place these days. In the past, I would have gone back to the same routine. Instead, I threw in some bigger portions and a few snacks. I think it might be helping. The main thing is that I felt like I needed to trust someone and took my doctor's advice. I will probably know more at the end of the month.

I will try to be better about regular blogging. Getting out of this hole is taking some doing, so my energy has been directed elsewhere.